Elie Hirschfeld, the principal and president of privately held New York City ownership and development group Hirschfeld Properties is traveling to Rome to greet Pope Francis on his visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome on January 17, 2016. Pope Francis will become the third-ever Roman Pontiff to visit Rome's Great Synagogue, following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II in 1986 and Benedict XVI in 2010.
Hirschfeld is representing Rabbi Arthur Schneier and The Park East Synagogue, and will greet the Pope on the momentous occasion. Hirschfeld is coming as a guest of the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Shmuel Di Segni, and Rabbi Joseph Arbib, both leaders of the Great Synagogue. According to the Vatican, this visit will include a personal encounter between Pope Francis and representatives of Judaism worldwide, and the members of the Jewish Community in Rome.

Elie Hirschfeld said, "I was honored to be asked to witness this important event, as this Pope has made it a point to befriend the Jewish people. As it might appear that anti-Jewish sentiment has risen worldwide, this visit sends a message of unity and warmth, and I am proud to help herald Pope Francis' embrace."

This visit comes following the invitation from the Chief Rabbi and Jewish Community of Rome, and accepted by a Pope who has put a great emphasis on ecumenism.

About Hirschfeld Properties:

Hirschfeld Properties is an owner of real estate, developing projects in the New York metropolitan area. With affiliates, it has been engaged in the development or ownership of some of the most renowned office buildings, hotels, multi-family residential buildings, parking facilities and retail projects in New York City. It has developed projects such as luxury residential towers Park Avenue Plaza, The Gotham and The Exchange, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hotel Pennsylvania, New York's first open-air parking garages, Manhattan Mall and the Sports Club LA Building.

Elie Hirschfeld, New York real estate developer and premier senior athlete, concluded the summer of 2017 by competing in his 33rd consecutive Mighty Hamptons Triathlon. Notably – this is the second most consecutive years of participation any competitor has maintained in the history of the event.

Elie Hirschfeld is a renowned real-estate developer, patron of the arts and art collector, civic benefactor and triathlete in constant pursuit of life’s next challenge. Mr. Hirschfeld is always in pursuit of self-improvement and ways to improve the world around him. In that process, he often looks often to those who are at the pinnacle of their profession for traits to keep in mind, as he pursues his own goals and ambitions.

New York real estate developer, athlete, art collector and philanthropist, Elie Hirschfeld has seized yet another opportunity to compete and win, in the recent Central Park Triathlon. A triathlon is a multiple-stage competition involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. The nature of the sport focuses on persistent training in each of the three disciplines, as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning.